Blank book



(No Model.)

H. H. 8v I'. H. HOFFMANN.

BLANK BooK.

' Patented Dec. l, 1891.

i; l ,f/ Jrg,

61H0 zum( UNITED STATES HERMANN H. HOFFMANN AND FRANK HOFFMANN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PATENT yO'EEiCE.

BLANKBooK.

SPECIFICATION forming partl of Letters l'atent No. 464,325, dated December 1, 1891. Application filed September 2l, 1891. Serial No. 406,611. (No model.)

MANN-and FRANK H. HOFFMANN, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvvented certain `new and useful Improvements in Blank Books, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon. Y

Our invention relates to certain new anduseful improvements in books, the same being especially adapted for blank books.

Said invention relates particularly to the manner of attaching the leaves or pages to the backing, so that when the book is opened the leaves or pages will lie flat. p

Heretofore a number of flat-opening books have been devised, some comprising a flexible guard or hinge between the signatures and the back of the book and others having a stili or non-flexible guard. In all of these, however,the sections or signature, composed of anumber of sheets of paper laid one on top of the other and folded in the center, are sewed through said central fold to the guard or filling piece, thereby increasing to some extent the cost of the book and putting considerable strain upon the thread and 'renderingv the book liable to break apart between the sections.

The object of our invention is to provide a fiat-opening book in which the liability of the breaking apart between the sections is reduced to a minimum and in which the thread with which the book is sewed is released from all strain, whereby is secured a lasting binding at a low cost.

To accomplish these objects our invention comprises, primarily, a blank book composed of a number of sections or signatures, each stitched separately through the central fold, combined witha suitable hinge or guard secured to the backing and having a suitable filling-piece, said hinge being secured on both exterior sides of the section at the fold.

` section provided with the double hinge.

at the fold,said filler being adapted to fold over, the hinge being secured at the fold of Figure l is a perspective View ofA a section or signature.` Fig. 2 is a View of a section havinga single hinge. Fig. 3 is a view of a double Fig. 4 is a view of a number of sections ljoined'to the sewing-bands and ready to be put in a ibook. Figs. 5 and 6 are details of the hinges.

In these drawings, A represents a section or signature.v This is composed of a number of sheets of paper laid one on top of the other and arranged to fold in the center. Through the fold is passed a number of stitches for the purpose of holding together the leaves or.

sheets, so as to make eaeh section or signature an entirety by itself.

B represents as a whole the hinge or guard to which the signature or section is attached and which forms the medium through which it is attached to the backing of the book. When the book is composed of a number of single sections, the form of hinge shown in Fig. 5 is used. This consists of a strip a of linen, muslin, or other fabric of suitable Width and length, to which is attached, to extend an equal distance on both sides of the center of the strip, a strip of pasteboard or other suitable material b the thickness of the section and forming a iiller. The strip of fabric is then folded in the center over the ller and secured thereto and the two'wings or parts of the fabric secured together at c, but leaving the two ends d d, between which the section or signature A is secured by being glued on its exterior sides to the inner sides of the ends d d of the strip.

It will be readily understood that instead of having a single strip of fabric folded over the filler, two strips attached on either side of the liller maybe used; but for a single section the construction just described is somewhat preferable. The book may be entirely composed of single sections or partly of sin- IOO gle and partly of double sect`ions-as, for .instance, where an odd number of sections are used. After the hinge has been attached to the section the filler b is folded over toward the section and sewed at the fold or bend to bands or parchments C, as in ordinary blank books. The parts are then secured to the bookbinding in the usual way. When double sections are used, it is preferred to construct the hinge or guard as shown in Fig. 6. In this figure the hinge B is composed of two fillingpieces b placed side by side but not abutting, so that one can fold over on the other. Upon the top faces of these llers or strips of pasteboard or similar material Vis pasted or otherwise secured a strip a of linen, muslin, or other suitable fabric, and upon the other side of the filling-pieces a second piece of fabric ofthe same width as the rst is secured, the ends d being left free for the insertion betweenand securing to them ofthe signatures or sections A, as above described. The strips of fabric are then folded in the center-that is, between the flling-pieces-thus making a double section, as shownin Fig. 3, which-dou-` ble section is secured to the lbands or parchments C by sewing through the fold,and'the operation ofbinding is then `completed in the` usual way. y

It will be understood that the not necessarily be pasted to the strips of fabi ric, but that paper stubs might 4be sewed `between the sections, thus answering the same purpose.

It will be seen I to theller to the bands or parchments, wey

make a book at comparatively slight cost, 1in which the sewing-thread is released ffrom' strain,.and Whichis not likely to break apart between the sections or signatures.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,'is-` 1. A blank book comprising a number of sections or signatures, each stitched separately through the central fold, combined with a suitable hinge or guard secured to the vbacking and having 'a suitable lling-piece,

`adapted to f old over, and Aa plurality lof sewing-bands adapted to beattached to the back of the fboo'k and secured to said hinge by a 3. A hinge or guard for` use in bookbi-nding, comprising a strip or strlps of fabric ,having end pieces -or parts, as d, =a lillingvpiece secured tosaid 'strip -orstripsof fabric, lksaid end pieces d being adapted to receive `fillers needA between them the sections or signatures,sub

Xstan'tially as described.

4. The herein-described blanklbook fcomposed of sections or signatures, as A, and

, l hinges-or guards, each-comprising twolayers that by our construction a-v book may be made up of a number kof lsingle 1 of fabric, .a filling-piece secured between said layers,said sections or signatures vbeing also secured between the rlayers of fabric, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof We aflix our signal'tures vin presence of two witnesses.

.line'of stitching through th'e'fold of thefilller, `substantially asrdescribed. 

